Lewis chessmen
Lewis chessmen | |
---|---|
Material | Walrus ivory and whales' teeth |
Created | 12th century |
Discovered | 1831 Uig, Lewis, Scotland |
Present location | |
NMS website entry |
The Lewis chessmen (
The newly identified piece, a "warder", the equivalent of a rook, was sold for £735,000 in July 2019. Four other major pieces, and many pawns, remain missing from the chess sets.[4]
Origin
Most accounts have said the pieces were found at Uig Bay (58°11′10″N 7°01′19″W / 58.185987°N 7.021909°W) on the west coast of Lewis, but Caldwell et al. of National Museums Scotland consider that Mealista (58°06′14″N 7°06′29″W / 58.104°N 7.108°W) – which is also in the parish of Uig and some 6 miles (10 km) further south down the coast—is a more likely place for the hoard to have been discovered.[5] The hoard was divided and sold in the 19th century; the British Museum holds 82 pieces, and National Museum of Scotland has 11 pieces, and the recently rediscovered piece is owned privately.[6]
At the
There are many medieval chess bishops of various origins in different museums in Europe and US.[11][12][13] A bishop that probably predates the Lewis chessmen was in the collection of Jean-Joseph Marquet de Vasselot and was sold at Christie's in Paris in 2011 with a radiocarbon dating report stating that there is a 95% probability that the ivory dates between 790 and 990 AD.[14] It is thought to be English or German and carved in the 12th century. Stylistically it predates the Lewis chessmen, as its mitre is worn sideways.[15][16]
Description
Almost all of the pieces in the collection are carved from walrus ivory, with a few made instead from
Scholars have observed that to the modern eye the figural pieces, with their bulging eyes and glum expressions, have a distinctly comic character.[20][21] This is especially true of one rook ("warder 4" in Madden's numbering) with a worried, sideways glance and the berserker rooks biting their shields, which have been called "irresistibly comic to a modern audience".[22] It is believed, however, that the comic or sad expressions were not intended or perceived as such by the makers, who instead saw strength, ferocity, or in the case of the queens who hold their heads with a hand and seemingly pensive expression, "contemplation, repose, and possibly wisdom".[20]
Discovery
The chessmen were discovered in early 1831 in a sandbank at the head of Uig Bay on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There are various local stories concerning their arrival and modern discovery on Lewis.
Malcolm "Sprot" MacLeod (
When the chessmen were uncovered in 1831, 1 knight and 4 warders were missing from the four sets.[3] In June 2019 a warder piece, which had previously gone unrecognised for at least 55 years, emerged in Edinburgh,[3] and was purchased at a Sotheby's auction for £735,000 the following month, by an undisclosed buyer.[4]
Exhibition and ownership
They were exhibited by Ryrie at a meeting of the
Of the pieces given to the British Museum, most can be found in Room 40, with the registration numbers M&ME 1831, 11–1.78–159. Others have been lent to Scottish museums and temporary exhibitions.[24] A range of wooden or plastic replicas are popular items in the Museum shops.
The chessmen were number 5 in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the British Museum for a 2003 BBC documentary.[25] They were one of the items featured in a 2010 Radio 4 historical series.[26]
An exhibition entitled "The Lewis Chessmen: Unmasked" included chess pieces from both the National Museum of Scotland and British Museum collections, along with other relevant objects, touring Scotland in 2010–2011. The exhibition opened in Edinburgh on 21 May 2010 and proceeded to Aberdeen, Shetland, and the Museum nan Eilean in Stornoway, opening there on 15 April 2011.[27]
An exhibition entitled "The Game of Kings: Medieval Ivory Chessmen from the Isle of Lewis" at The Cloisters in New York City included 34 of the chess pieces, all on loan from the British Museum. The exhibit lasted through 22 April 2012.[28]
On 3 April 2013, £1.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund was granted to transform Lews Castle, Isle of Lewis, into a museum for the Western Isles. Around £14 million in total is to be spent on restoring and converting the property, which has been shuttered for nearly 25 years. When completed the permanent displays will include 6 Lewis chessmen.[29]
The Edinburgh warder piece was displayed in a special exhibit at the Neue Galerie New York in 2023, as part of a special exhibit.[30][4]
Dispute over location
In in late 2007, a dispute arose as to where the main resting place of the pieces should be.
Richard Oram, Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling, agreed, arguing that there was no reason for there to be more than "a sample" of the collection in London. These views were dismissed by Margaret Hodge, the then UK Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, writing "It's a lot of nonsense, isn't it?", noting that the law protects purchases and drawing comparisons to major artworks in Europe housed in major cities, with replicas often available in situ where tourism is sufficient.[23] The historical society in Uig, Comann Eachdraidh Ùig, which operates its museum near the find site, features detailed information about the chessmen and Norse occupation in Lewis. It has published that it cannot claim to own the pieces and would allow the normal museum market to determine whether more originals should rest in Edinburgh. It welcomes short-term loans.[32][full citation needed]
In October 2009, 24 of the pieces from London and 6 from Edinburgh began a 16 month tour of Scotland, partly funded by the
Neil MacGregor, who at the time of the debate was director of the British Museum, was reported to say that it was Norway who was entitled to ask for them back, not Scotland.[34] M. Bunting writes that:
- "the British Museum has picked its way carefully and 6 of the figures were loaned long-term to Lewis's new museum in 2015".[34]
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Selection of chessmen at NMS
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King and Queen at NMS
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Row of bishops at the back and then knights, among a selection pieces on display at BM
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Knight on a stout pony
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Decoration carved on back of a queen's throne at BM
Footnotes
- ^ a b Current total of 79 pieces, after 2019 recovery[3][4] of the 13th warder (rook); original discovery had 12 warders / 78 chess pieces.
See also
References
- ^ "Comann Eachdraidh Ùig" [Uig chessmen]. Ceuig.co.uk (in Scottish Gaelic). Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "The enigma of the Lewis chessmen". Chessbase.com. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Long-lost Lewis chessman found in Edinburgh family's drawer". BBC News. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Lost Lewis Chessman piece bought for £5 sells for £735,000 at auction". BBC News. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Caldwell, Hall & Wilkinson (2011), pp. 15–19.
- ^ Caldwell, Hall & Wilkinson (2011), p. 11.
- ^ Stratford (1997), pp. 4–8, 10.
- ^ Sotheby's (2019).
- ^ Madden (1832).
- ^ Stratford (1997), pp. 5, 8.
- The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 2 July 2019. — search returned 18 objects
- ^
"Chess bishop probably made in Trondheim, Norway, AD 1150-1200". metmuseum.org. Art collection. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Chess bishop probably made in Norway or possibly England first part of 13th century". Stockholm, Sweden: Historiska Museet. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Oeuvres Médiévales provenant de la collection Marquet de Vasselot, Paris". Christie's christies.com. 16 November 2011. SALE 1047. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ "Mitre evolution from 11th century to present day". Florida Center for Instructional Technology / College of Education. University of South Florida. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ^ Robinson (2004), p. 19.
- ^ Robinson (2004), p. 30.
- ^ Robinson (2004), pp. 28–29.
- ^ McClain, Dylan Loeb (9 September 2010). "Reopening history of storied Norse chessmen". The New York Times. p. C2. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ^ a b Robinson (2004), pp. 37–41.
- ^ Stratford (1997), p. 48.
- ^ Robinson (2004), p. 37.
- ^ The Sunday Herald. Glasgow, UK.
- ^
"The Lewis Chessmen" (Press release). London, UK: The British Museum. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- the British Museum (2003). "Our Top Ten Treasures". documentary. BBC Television.
- ^ A History of the World in 100 Objects. 2010. BBC Radio 4.
- ^ "Lewis Chessman exhibition opens in Stornoway museum". Scotland highlands & islands. BBC News (bbc.co.uk). Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ Johnson, Ken (18 November 2011). "Medieval foes with whimsey". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "New funding announced for Lews Castle museum". scotland.gov.uk (Press release). Edinburgh, UK: Government of Scotland. April 2013.
- ^ Ronald Lauder, investor and gallery founder. "Ronald S. Lauder collection". neuegalerie.org. New York, NY: Neue Galerie New York. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Moves to unite historic chessmen". Scotland highlands and islands. BBC News. 24 December 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "[no title cited]", Uig News, February 2008
- ^ Cornwell, Tim (2 October 2009). "Chessmen will never come home". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781847085184.
Sources
- Brown, Nancy Marie (2016). Ivory Vikings: The mystery of the most famous chessmen in the world and the woman who made them. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-10859-3.
- Caldwell, David H.; Hall, Mark A.; Wilkinson, Caroline M. (2011). The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked. ISBN 978-1-905267-46-0.
- Madden, F. (1832). "VII Historical remarks on the introduction of the game of chess into Europe, and on the ancient chess-men discovered in the Isle of Lewis". Archaeologia: Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity. 24. Society of Antiquaries of London: 203–291 – via Internet Archive (archive.org).
- Murray, H.J.R. (1985). A History of Chess. Oxford University Press.
- Robinson, James (2004). The Lewis Chessmen. British Museum Press. ISBN 9780714150239.
- "Attributed to the Lewis chessmen workshop, probably Norwegian, Trondheim, 13th century: a warder". Old-master sculptural works of art. Sotheby's. 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- Stratford, N. (1997). The Lewis Chessmen and the Enigma of the Hoard. The British Museum Press.
- Taylor, Michael (1978). The Lewis Chessmen. British Museum Publications Limited.
External links
- Media related to Lewis chessmen at Wikimedia Commons
- The British Museum's page on the chessmen.
- National Museums Scotland's pages on the chessmen
- A History of the World in 100 Objects, Number 61: The Lewis Chessmen
- A Website dedicated to the Lewis chessmen, their form and history
- Sketchfab: 3D models of the chess pieces at National Museum of Scotland